"The history of liberty is a history of resistance."
~Woodrow Wilson
~Woodrow Wilson
I've literally struggled for days to write this review for one very simple yet complex reason; how does one critique the proverbial magnum opus? When I finished listening to this album for the first time, I found myself in tears, desperately trying to savor and digest its haunting message. I sat in silence for an extended amount of time, the final chords spiraling down my cerebrum, and then I started writing. Flawed though it may be, this album is by far Muse's greatest work to date.
The album revolves around one focal idea: in a world faced with growing levels of corruption and decay, love is our greatest act of both resistance and rebellion. A sentiment for the ages. The beautiful thing about Muse is the wide range of influences they draw from, leading to a well-versed, well-rounded feel. Take for example "United States of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage)," which was released as a free download on July 21st. The majority of the song sounds as if Freddy Mercury crafted it with his own two hands, until it effortlessly dissolves into Frédéric Chopin's "Nocturne in E-Flat Major, Op. 9 No.2” The album opener, "Uprising," is a raccous rally cry with a guitar solo evocative of Johan Sebastian Bach's terrifying organ in "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor." The subtle fusion of classical and classic rock is something that Muse has mastered seamlessly.
I'll admit, there are some rough patches. While listening to "Guiding Light," "Unnatural Selection," and "MK Ultra," I found myself thinking Muse had fallen back on their old material. The most startling of the three is "Unnatural," which is so similar to "New Born" off 2005's Origin of Symmetry, I had to play both of them at the same time to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. But really, I encourage you to listen to both songs. Specifically "New Born" 1:24-1:50, and then "Unnatural" 0:47-1:00. The notes may be a little different but I'll be damned if they didn't dig through their old songs and pick out a riff they had a soft spot for. And yes, I ended that sentence with a preposition, sue me.
The grandeur picks up again with "I Belong to You (+Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix)," a fascinating mix of clarinets, a catchy swing, falsetto and a French breakdown riddled with piano. The album finishes with its pièce de résistance (no pun intended), a 15-minute-long symphony entitled "Exogenesis" broken into three movements: "Overture," "Cross Pollination," and "Redmption."
Vocalist Matthew Bellamy first hinted at it in 2008 when he was quoted as saying, "I think on the next album I’d like to do at least one 15-minute space-rock solo." He also hinted at "one 50-minute sypmphony," though that plan obviously fell by the wayside. What we're left with is one final plea for the betterment of humanity, utilizing a 40-piece orchestra, a soft piano throughout (think Claude Debussy), and lyrics that portray endless melancholy as the perfect foil to sparkling notes of hope, and yes, redemption. It ends with Bellamy's voice fading into the ether, softly singing, "Just let us start it over again/ And we'll be good/ This time we'll get it/ We'll get it right/ It's our last chance to forgive ourselves."
What Muse has left us with is a heartbreaking collection of songs encouraging us to cling to the hope and goodness that remains in our very broken world. We are constantly surrounded by war and greed and hatred, but there are still fragments of beauty left, and we have to do what we can (with the time we have left) to preserve that. Humanity is just as prone to compassion as it is to ugliness. As I find myself writing this 8 years after the tragedy that simultaneously gave America a renewed sense of unity and warmongering, I can't help feeling the urgency behind the words of these songs. If we don't right our wrongs soon, it may just be too late.
The album will be released everywhere 9-14-09. Buy it as soon as you possibly can, and thank me later.
Rating- 4.9 stars out of 5
Highlight Tracks- "Exogenesis 1,2,3"
The album revolves around one focal idea: in a world faced with growing levels of corruption and decay, love is our greatest act of both resistance and rebellion. A sentiment for the ages. The beautiful thing about Muse is the wide range of influences they draw from, leading to a well-versed, well-rounded feel. Take for example "United States of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage)," which was released as a free download on July 21st. The majority of the song sounds as if Freddy Mercury crafted it with his own two hands, until it effortlessly dissolves into Frédéric Chopin's "Nocturne in E-Flat Major, Op. 9 No.2” The album opener, "Uprising," is a raccous rally cry with a guitar solo evocative of Johan Sebastian Bach's terrifying organ in "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor." The subtle fusion of classical and classic rock is something that Muse has mastered seamlessly.
I'll admit, there are some rough patches. While listening to "Guiding Light," "Unnatural Selection," and "MK Ultra," I found myself thinking Muse had fallen back on their old material. The most startling of the three is "Unnatural," which is so similar to "New Born" off 2005's Origin of Symmetry, I had to play both of them at the same time to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. But really, I encourage you to listen to both songs. Specifically "New Born" 1:24-1:50, and then "Unnatural" 0:47-1:00. The notes may be a little different but I'll be damned if they didn't dig through their old songs and pick out a riff they had a soft spot for. And yes, I ended that sentence with a preposition, sue me.
The grandeur picks up again with "I Belong to You (+Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix)," a fascinating mix of clarinets, a catchy swing, falsetto and a French breakdown riddled with piano. The album finishes with its pièce de résistance (no pun intended), a 15-minute-long symphony entitled "Exogenesis" broken into three movements: "Overture," "Cross Pollination," and "Redmption."
Vocalist Matthew Bellamy first hinted at it in 2008 when he was quoted as saying, "I think on the next album I’d like to do at least one 15-minute space-rock solo." He also hinted at "one 50-minute sypmphony," though that plan obviously fell by the wayside. What we're left with is one final plea for the betterment of humanity, utilizing a 40-piece orchestra, a soft piano throughout (think Claude Debussy), and lyrics that portray endless melancholy as the perfect foil to sparkling notes of hope, and yes, redemption. It ends with Bellamy's voice fading into the ether, softly singing, "Just let us start it over again/ And we'll be good/ This time we'll get it/ We'll get it right/ It's our last chance to forgive ourselves."
What Muse has left us with is a heartbreaking collection of songs encouraging us to cling to the hope and goodness that remains in our very broken world. We are constantly surrounded by war and greed and hatred, but there are still fragments of beauty left, and we have to do what we can (with the time we have left) to preserve that. Humanity is just as prone to compassion as it is to ugliness. As I find myself writing this 8 years after the tragedy that simultaneously gave America a renewed sense of unity and warmongering, I can't help feeling the urgency behind the words of these songs. If we don't right our wrongs soon, it may just be too late.
The album will be released everywhere 9-14-09. Buy it as soon as you possibly can, and thank me later.
Rating- 4.9 stars out of 5
Highlight Tracks- "Exogenesis 1,2,3"
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